As we begin to wrap up the 2011 season of New Media Cincinnati, it’s time to cast your vote for the NMC Digital Awards! These will be given at the November 12, 2011 New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event. Last month we opened up the nominations so that you could share who you believe has done excellent work this year.

Thanks to Frame USA for printing the awards and donating custom frames with the NMC logo in them!

Your nominees for the 2011 NMC Digital Awards are as follows:

NMC Digital Native

Exemplary dedication to the practice and promotion of digital literacy and community building in the Greater Cincinnati area over the past year.

Brent Billock

“Brent is a rich source of digital media expertise and practice. He brings his sharp skills to the table in multiple venues and is an agile user as well as able promoter of digital media.”

“By creating SocialNati.com, Brent Billock has taken the ‘Most Social City’ designation from Mashable.com and run with it. He’s creating an easy to navigate home for social events and social media events with a Twitter stream that tells you anything the event listing may have missed. It’s important in our ‘digital age’ that we know where to go to connect socially & in person. Brent’s site succeeds in facilitating and encouraging a very social (media) city!”

Christiaan Todd

“Chris constantly shares his knowledge of the latest and greatest in digital and social media whether it is platform changes, social media policy, new apps or events in the news within many digital communities like LinkedIn Groups, Facebook Groups, email and at New Media Cincinnati meetings. Photographer by day, he is a consummate social media pro 24/7 and someone who’s opinion I respect.”

Crystal Thies

“As the LinkedIn Ninja, Crystal has done a phenomenal job this year in helping businesses and individuals better brand themselves and use LinkedIn better. Locally, she’s given presentations and taught us how to get the most out of our profiles. I especially liked her talk at the Clermont Chamber on things you didn’t realize you could do with LinkedIn.”

Daniel Lewis

“Daniel has been doing an amazing job making PodCamp Cincinnati happen.”

Debba Haupert

“With Girlfriendology, Debba is a master of digital community building, and has grown her network tremendously since she first attended New Media Cincinnati.”

Joe Robb

“Joe has always put himself out there for anyone that has needed expertise in this realm. He’s well versed in all Social Media aspects and shows a tremendous amount of enthusiasm whenever the topic of social media is being discussed. He has numerous how to sites and videos that help our clients when we engineers are too busy to explain it all.”

Michelle Hummel

“Started a class to teach different uses of social media. The Web Media Expert brand is active and constantly posting about community.”

NMC Digital Giving First

Outstanding support toward members and potential members of the New Media Cincinnati community by sharing expertise and raising awareness through education and example both within meetings and during after-hours over the past year.

Daniel Lewis

“Daniel’s work to make PodCamp Cincinnati a reality and his desire to bring members of the social media community of Cincinnati together to make it happen and work as a team makes him a perfect candidate for the Digital Giving First Award.”

“Extraordinary effort in bringing PodCamp Cincinnati to town! Daniel has a tremendous vision and enthusiasm for education and content creation within the social media space and beyond! It’s been a pleasure and honor to work with him as he led the PodCamp Cincinnati Planning Committee. In addition, he always made himself available to answer questions and broaden my scope of understanding. Highest regards and recommendation!”

“Besides coordinating the incredible ‘PodCamp Cincinnati’, Daniel has been a huge advocate and supporter of New Media Cincinnati. He is constantly attending the meetings and speaking up to support members of the organization. I find myself continually inspired by his leadership, expertise, and dedication to supporting our community at large.”

Matthew Evins

“Matthew stepped up to volunteer as co-host on the New Media Cincinnati podcast with Daniel Johnson, Jr. this year.  He and Daniel have been going through the NMC LinkedIn group and other sources, sussing out relevant discussions to share with the community.”

NMC Digital Go The Distance Dedication

Sincere dedication to attend New Media Cincinnati events. Person who has dedicated his or her time, energy, and resources to consistently travel a great distance to listen, learn, and contribute to New Media Cincinnati.

Ann Lightfoot

“Ann travels deep from the southern fields of Kentucky to make the monthly New Media Cincinnati meetings. She is always there with a smile and shares her experience with the group. She travels over 2 hours round trip to join us!”

“Ann has been a dedicated member of New Media Cincinnati since I have first ever attended. She is constantly exuding a positive attitude and always is passionate about connecting others. With a constant smile, she actively engages in the discussions and has fostered many inspiring discussions. I nominate Ann Lightfoot for the NMC Digital Go the Distance Dedication Award.”

Brandon Kilby

“He’s always there & approachable! Not sure his is the farthest commute, but it’s a commitment that he upholds to enhance the NMCincy community. In addition, he has stepped up and presented to the group. Kudos!”

Tom Rockhold

“Tom Rockhold doesn’t live in the Cincinnati area. He lives just outside the Columbus area but is passionate about being involved in the New Media Cincinnati community. So much so, that he drives almost every month to spend time with us. I understand he’s donated equipment that is used during events, too.”

Voting

Voting will be open until 5 PM this Friday, November 4, 2011. So vote now!

–> Click here to cast your votes! <–

Help us spread the word by pasting this text into your social media streams:

Congrats to all the 2011 NMC Digital Award Nominees! Vote now! http://bit.ly/tp2056 #nmcincy

It’s time to acknowledge great work done in the community! New Media Cincinnati plans to give out the following three awards at the November Second Saturday event:

More information about the NMC Digital Awards.

Submit your nominations here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JP8GRFJ

Nominations are open until October 18, 2011.

Each month when we send out the invitations for the New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event, we know there are things people want to announce. We ask that this be sent beforehand. Most of the time these announcements can just be announced during the event. This month, because of the nature of the announcements, we’re posting them to the website here.

Western Hills Job Search Satellite Group

The Western Hills Job Search Satellite Group gathers Wednesdays at 9 am at Westwood First Presbyterian Church, 3011 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45211 (map). Enter through Koenig Avenue doors.

This all-volunteer organization provides emotional support and up-to-date job search skills for individuals searching for employment. We are professionals of all faiths who are in job transition seeking to improve our own lives and positively influence the lives of fellow members.

We alternate speaker presentations with workshop formats to take full advantage of the flexibility of our size (15-25 people per week) and opportunities to interact. Come at 8:45 to network and stay afterward for more conversation. There is no fee. Bring a handshake, a smile, and positive attitude. (via Cinda Gorman)

Wamboo Rally Alert: Not Every Disability Has A Name… Every Child Does

Cole, Allison, and Mario are each facing huge obstacles with nowhere else to turn. If not you, then who? Helping others takes team work, together, we can give these kids the help they need. Because 100% of all kindness received goes to meet their need, every little bit will make a big difference.

For more information about this rally as well as to see how Wamboo works, click here: 3 Kids Have Given Us A Challenge! (via Dori Gehling)

Rob’s Kids

I am Sam. I am a survivor. I suffer from Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I am a patient at Children’s Hospital. On March 30, 2008 my Dad (Rob) took his own life leaving behind the survivors me, my sister, my mom, his parents, his brother and many more family and friends. In October 2010, I became very depressed and thought about taking my own life.  My mom took me to Children’s Hospital and I spent a week  in the Mental Health unit. In March 2011, I became very depressed again and had to spend another week in the Mental Health unit. There I met other kids like me. I also attended the day program at Children’s.

Now I see a counselor and take medicine. Without the help from the doctors, nurses and counselors at Children’s. I might have made the same mistake my Dad (Rob) made. I am Sam. I am a survivor. I am powerful. I need you to help me with my mission to prevent other kids from going down the road I went down.  That’s the reason I want to give $1,000 to the Mental Health Unit a part of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

To join up with Sam’s cause, please visit http://robskids.wordpress.com/ (via Jen Mitchell)

Strategic Connections Event – Networking at the Highest Level

This Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 4-7 PM
Iron Horse Inn, 40 Village Square, Glendale, OH 45246

For more information and to register, head over to the Strategic Connections Event page.

We’re excited to have Betty Hakes speak at the April Second Saturday event. Betty has been an affiliate marketer since 2006 and has launched and managed affiliate programs for a full-service marketing firm from 2009-2010.

Also special thanks to Chris Olson from Frame USA for sponsoring our giveaway this month: a 2-frame framepack and $50 gift card to their Tri-County store!

Related articles

• How I Pay My Mortgage (chrisbrogan.com)
• Blogging And Podcasting As A Business Model (twistimage.com)
• What The Exploring Social Media Product Roadmap Looks Like (socialmediaexplorer.com)
• 10 Basic Tips For Success In Affiliate Marketing (bigsexymedia.com)
• Making Money With Affiliate Marketing Requires Patience, Dedication (tiffanyproducts.wordpress.com)

Power Tip for Social Media Tragedies Discussion by Michelle Beckham-Corbin.

As more businesses and individuals begin to carve a presence for themselves online, the question about reputation management arises. “How do we manage our brand online?  How do we control what people are saying about us, especially if it is negative?”

So how do we, as caretakers of the Brand (company, products, services, personal brand, etc.), manage this?  There are many tools you can use to help manage your Brand.  Today’s Power Tip focuses on using the service About.Me.

About.Me is a great place to build some positive SEO for your Brand.  It is a custom profile and personal analytics dashboard that can be created for an individual profile or for a company.  This puts the power to convey your Brand in the manner that you want it shared with the world.  The site gives you the ability to:

• Create a slick bio with images
• Tell the World what you want them to know about you
• Add in your social links (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, Reddit, etc.)
• Add an Email link

Now people can find all of your online real-estate in one place and your image presented in  the way that you would like it to be shared. The built-in analytics capability allows you to see who is looking at your site and how they are interacting with it.

Here’s a view of NMC March Speaker Daniel Lally’s profile:

Dan Lally's About.Me Profile

And another example from About.me co-founder Tony Conrad:

Tony Conrad's About.Me Profile

Other sites to use are Google Profiles and Flavors.Me

What are you waiting for? Get started creating the best version of your online Brand now!

via socialmediaweek.org

Social Media Week (SMW) is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversation around emerging trends in social and mobile media. The site is socialmediaweek.org. Started in 2009 in New York City, it grew to 6 cities in 2010. In September, they decided to make it biannual, growing to 11 cities and yesterday they finished events in 9 cities around the world. In person, online and on the mobile platform, SMW is talking about how Social Media intersects everyday life. The next one will be in September, so check out the website.

Foursquare set a new record, at the Super Bowl this year. There were over 200,000 checkins of people watching the Super Bowl last Sunday. There were checkins from all 50 states and 125 countries around the globe. Aparently, even the Pope might have checked in! It seems Green Bay had more fans checking in, and so many checked in that it caused Foursquare to crash in some areas. I guess this would be a Super Duper Swarm badge?

As many people probably know, Egypt recently had the internet pulled out from under them when protesters started their current peaceful assault on the government. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to suddenly not have the internet available. Today, Twitter and Facebook are often the leading edge of breaking news, but the Egyptian government sought to quell that force. So what happened? Google, Twitter & SayNow (recently acquired by Google) quickly put together a new service, “Speak to Tweet” which allowed people to call one of three numbers, leave a voicemail and that message would be translated to text and tweeted under the hashtag #egypt. It was an awesome idea to keep those in Egypt in touch with family & friends and let the world know what was happening on the ground.

These are just a few of the exciting things happening in the last month. Keep an eye out and let us know what you find most interesting this month!

Related articles

• Foursquare Sets Super Record During Big Game (searchengineland.com)
• Those Without Internet Access Can Call These Numbers to Tweet #Egypt News [Egypt] (gizmodo.com)
• Watch Social Media Week Livestreaming to Catch Your Favorite Events (marketersstudio.com)

Image by whizchickenonabun via Flickr

Registration for this month’s Second Saturday event, “Build It And They Will Come!”, is now open.

This Saturday, Debba Haupert from Girlfriendology.com will be on hand to talk about how she’s built a thriving community, and we’ll learn what we can do to build communities of our own.

Just like last month, we’ll share a short power tip that you can use in your efforts, some social media news, and another book giveaway.

And, of course, there will be some great opportunities for us to (re)connect in-person! Please come up and say hi!

Go grab your spot before they all are taken … and remember to invite your friends!

Related articles

• 15 Essential Articles for Online Community Managers #CMAD (futurelab.net)
• A Basic Online Community Wireframe (feverbee.com)
• Building Your Business Online Takes Time (cash-bandit.com)
• Reflecting on Online Community Building (michelemmartin.com)
• Engaging With Online Communities (marketingconversation.com)
• Building My API Community with Elance (kinlane.com)
• Two Different Community Skills (feverbee.com)
• Six Reasons Firms Build B2B Customer Communities (customerthink.com)

via SocialPint

Over the years, many other networking groups have sprung up around the Greater Cincinnati area, but it’s been a challenge to find a single place that shows all of their events.

(By the way, if you have any announcements for the February Second Saturday event, please email them to news AT newmediacincinnati.com by Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 5 PM Cincinnati time.)

It looks like Steve, Joe, and the rest of our friends at the Social Pint Network are looking to meet this need. If you want to keep your personal and professional networking card full, check out the Networking Events Calendar at their website that’s being updated all the time. In fact, if you know of an event they do not have on their calendar, you can submit it yourself via their website!

By the way, as many of us in the New Media Cincinnati community can attest, the Social Pint Network events, which are held during the week in Northern Kentucky each month, are definitely worth attending! Check out their Picasa Web Album to see the activity from previous events.

Related articles

• Networkers hold dinner (news.cincinnati.com)
• Brandery joins TechStars Network (news.cincinnati.com)
• Chambers reach deal on dual-membership (news.cincinnati.com)
• United Way takes over Workforce Network (news.cincinnati.com)

Rapid changes to social networking platforms have occurred recently that can leave your personal brand a bit naked on the web.  This month we focus on Facebook Privacy Settings and the steps you can take to apply a “digital fig leaf” (thanks Don Sceifers!) to your online brand.  Facebook rolled out some changes in December 2010 that capitalize on the prodigious use of photo-sharing and the interconnections of each person’s social graph.

Facebook users upload thousands of photos/month which are affected by the following new releases:

• New Profile Layout
• Facial Recognition Tagging in Photos

New Profile layout for personal pages includes a series of five photos across the top of the page below your name and any personal information you have shared (city, schools, birthday, etc.). While many have seen the new profile in action as the release continues to roll out, what you might not realize is that the pictures selected are the last five tagged pictures of you.  So in other words, one of the first things that people will see, are five pictures that are connected to you that you may not have even uploaded.

Facebook is employing facial recognition software to suggest tags (individual names) for people present in uploaded photos. This becomes a feature automatically for all users as the roll out progresses and you must opt-out of the service to prevent friends from using this feature on photos of or about you.

What you can do to edit privacy settings for each of the new releases:

1. Go into Account Settings

2. Choose Customize Settings Option

3.  Go to ‘Photos & Videos I’m Tagged In’ and edit each accordingly

4.  Choices include: Only  Me, Friends, Friends of Friends, Everyone & Custom edit by individual friend

5.  Next go to ‘Suggest Photos of me to friends’ and disable if it is live on your profile

Auto-tagging with Facebook Facial Recognition Features

Michelle Beckham-Corbin, Owner, C3: Creating Connections Consulting

Get your e-mail invitation? Good. Then you know about what we’re doing this Saturday.

If not, get on over and register for Saturday’s event. You want to be there. Yes, definitely.

Want to get an email invitation next month? Add yourself to the list here.